Parkinson's Warrior

Guide to Supplements, Natural Therapies, and Medical Marijuana

Nick Pernisco

• Publisher: Connected Neurosciences LLC
• Year: 2021
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781087980348
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Alternative & Complementary Medicine

N of 1

If you do not follow science, you may have not heard the term “N of 1” or “N of” anything. The simplest way to explain this concept is by saying that, in clinical trials and other scientific research where several people are participants in the trial, the research is published with the number of participants, an N of something. This is the number of people who are taking part in a particular study. A larger number of participants is better, as we will soon find out. But it is important for studies to not only indicate how many people participated in the study, but during what period the study was conducted, and if any participants dropped out. The best studies are ones trying to verify the outcome of previous studies. Repeatability of results is key to the scientific method.

Since it is impossible to test the entire population in any particular study – imagine for every trial for a new Parkinson’s drug, the pharmaceutical companies tested all one million people with Parkinson’s in the United States. Not only would this be cost prohibitive, but researchers will also never be able to include everyone in their study for one reason or another (people don’t want to be “guinea pigs”, many people may live in rural areas away from major hospitals, etc.). Instead, study and trial organizers must select a number that is smaller than the entire population of people in the research group, but a large enough sample to represent a broad range of people in that population. Therefore, you will often see clinical trials for Parkinson’s in the hundreds. Statisticians have figured out what number of people is needed in a study to represent a larger population.

Let’s say there is a Phase 3 study for a brand-new Parkinson’s drug. Instead of conducting the research on all one million people with the disease in the United States, they figure that 500 people with Parkinson’s will be enough to represent the entire population at large. If there are 500 participants in a trial, then the N = 500 (although it is usually indicated with a lowercase n, here I am using the uppercase N for clarity). I have mentioned how large trials are best for discovering the usefulness of a particular therapy. For example, when the COVID vaccine trials were going on, a phase 3 trial would include an n of 60,000. This number is a statistical number that is meant to represent the entire population of the United States (with participants chosen for their diversity, as seen in the total population. An n of 30,000 would have been too few to account for all the possible combinations of people in a large population the size of the United States, and an n of 100,000 would have been a waste in many respects, with too many unnecessary samples not needed for an accurate representation of the population.

So why does this all matter for those of us fighting Parkinson’s? First, it’s important to understand how studies work, so that we can accurately determine if a study is statistically significant for us to pay attention to (therefore, I do not pay as much attention to news stories that say “a new therapy is being developed for Parkinson’s – 9 people in a trial have shown good results”). Second, we must learn to become junior scientists about our own illness, and embrace the fact that Parkinson’s affects everyone differently, and there is no better study or clinical trial FOR YOU, than that of your own experiences with supplements, therapies, foods, or medical marijuana. Throughout your life using these natural therapies, you will need to conduct studies where the N = 1 (you!). With Parkinson’s, there is no substitute for what works best for you, so you must track and adjust what works for you during the various phases of the disease.

Your N = 1 study should be thorough, and I recommend daily analysis of your symptoms when taking supplements, engaging in physical therapies, eating healthy foods, and using medical marijuana. You may use a journal, a spreadsheet, or an app like Parkinson’s LifeKit, but you should keep track of changes in your condition over time. This is the only way you will know for sure, objectively, that your chosen therapy is working or is not working. I will present examples of how to begin tracking your stats so that you can share them with your physical therapist, naturopath, movement disorder specialist, or nutritionist. This is an adventure to understanding what works for you and for only you. Remember, with Parkinson’s, everyone’s experience is different, and you are unique in the types and severity of your symptoms.

When using a journal of some sort, you can keep track and make marks on the lines of the journal. Name the test you are conducting at the top of the page. Then draw a large L shape down the side and bottom of the page, leaving about an inch or two free on th...

Table of contents

• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Table of Contents
• The Issue with PD and Natural Products
• The Story So Far
• Supplements
• Natural Therapies
• Polyphenols
• Medical Marijuana
• N of 1
• Conclusion
• Citations